The Honor Circle Returns! (IC)

[Angel]

Despite being followed to the door by Andrea, Dani and Sylvie walked into the infirmary without much trouble - though both looked up when loud quick footsteps sounded upstairs. Sylvie moved to sit on the bed that Dani had been lying in before, but the Red herded the elf over to a bed at the end of the room. When both sat down, Dani faced Sylvie directly, speaking in the same low, quiet, direct voice.

"Okay, then. So, what happened upstairs? It's great that you weren't hurt, but it's pretty clear that you're freaked out-"

"I'm not freaked out," the elf tried to insist, also speaking quietly. "I mean, I am, but - " she cut herself off. "...I don't know how to put it. I'm feeling way too much to just be freaked out."

Dani sighed. Elves could get so dramatic...even shy ones like Sylvie. "Okay. Start from when you went upstairs."

One long discussion and a few reassuring pats on the shoulder later...

"...Then he just let me leave," Sylvie finished, sighing a little and slumping forward. Telling someone did make her feel better, but reliving her experiences wasn't all that pleasant. Dani pouted in thought. She wasn't too surprised by what Stygian had done - she'd already seen what he was capable of, and if what Sahlena had told her wa-

"Actually, Syl," the Red spoke up, "Sahlena mentioned something like this to me after you went upstairs. She said his powers are subconscious, but he manipulates peopl-"

"Dan," Sylvie interrupted with a blank look. "Stygian told me the same thing, remember?" The latter looked a bit shamefaced for a second, but shook it off quickly.

"Right. Sorry. But why didn't you leave when he told you that?" The Green got a half-wistful, half-embarrassed look.

"Well, like I said, I told him that I'd keep that in mind, but that I still wasn't worried he'd do anything to me. Then he got angry for some reason..." She looked up at Dani, who had a look of dawning realization on her face. "What?"

"That isn't what you said you said," Dani muttered.

"But that's what I meant," Sylvie asserted. "Couldn't you tell?"

"No," the Red answered honestly. "It sounded like you were trying to provoke him. I guess you meant it as kind of a joke, but he took it as a challenge." Now Sylvie had the realization look. Dani looked at her and added, "But that doesn't mean you should trust him completely yet, after what you told me happened. It may have been an accident, but given what he showed and told you, he's dangerous and he knows it." She resisted the urge to add But I guess you know that now to that. The girl had been through enough for now. "Either way, we'll both be on our guard from now on. You wanna get some drinks?" she said, her voice at normal volume now.

Sylvie smiled weakly and nodded. She was feeling a little more normal herself. "Sure, but wait here while I get them. It looks like you shouldn't be walking around much more yet," she answered, standing up walking back towards the door. When she noticed Andrea, she got a curious look. She had a feeling the woman didn't like her, and Dani had sent some bad vibes toward her before, but still, it would be worth it to find out at least a little about her.

"We were never properly introduced, were we?" she mentioned, the fact only now occurring to her. She gave a slight bow - she'd never been one for handshakes, and she had a feeling that offering her hand might bother Dani for some reason. "I'm Sylvie Dahl."

[Stygian]

If the psychic was surprised or upset, something that was very hard to imagine, she composed herself so quickly that Sylvie did not have the time to catch it. She seemed to sense the momentary hesitation, and gave the elf a quick frown, before sighing. Within though, her thoughts spun as fast as ever, partly to try and shake off the discomfort that the Green herself was giving off.
   'I'm Andrea Muniz. Look, I'm sorry about that', she said, almost ignoring the bow, and nodded slightly toward the bar. She had never been one for formality. And that sort of thing was even more hard to keep up, when one could distinctly hear just how informal people were in their minds. 'It was supposed to be a... joke of sorts. I'm sorry if it came off the wrong way. It's just that... I know him. Okay?' She gave the elf a meaningful glance that dared her to challenge the statement, but she did not wait for an answer. 'Don't let me interrupt you. I didn't mean for it to be anything significant, but if you don't want to talk to me, you don't need to come back to me.' She gave a sort of shrug, and then turned toward the infirmary door. 'I'll go and do this thing, and see if I need to leave later...'
   Giving the elf a last look that she could not help but find somewhat strange, as if the woman wanted to assure herself of something and excuse herself at the same time, Andrea turned, and walked into the infirmary. Giving Dani a glance, it was by talent and concentration that she kept any signs of satisfaction back. It was too early to try and assert any sort of direct control, but she thought her suggestions were working well...
   'Sorry', she said as she walked past the Red, moving to stop at the edge of Giles' bed. 'Didn't want to intrude.' She eyed the man for a while, before she gave Dani herself a quick, seemingly casual glance.
   'That looks like it hurts a bit', she said, and returned her gaze to the blackguard. 'Maybe you really ought to lie down a while.' She frowned at the armored man. 'By the way, did Stygian beat up this guy, hm?'
   It was a rather good situation. The blackguard was still alive, but unconscious, and considering how he seemed... She did not want to start delving into his head quickly. One could not know what was lurking about in that sort of heated darkness. She could barely catch any thoughts or dreams from him at all. So if she wanted another tool to work with against the bastard upstairs, she would have to be careful...

[Paladin Sheppard]

Grinning widely the armored wolf followed the diminutive alien inside the room closing the door. The door opened again a few seconds later and a hand darted out, hooked a 'Do not disturb' sign on the handle before closing it again.

[Angel]

Andrea seemed bothered by something, but Sylvie wasn't sure what. When she mentioned that she knew Stygian, the elf was only a little surprised. She remembered how he'd been talking to Andrea right before Sylvie had re-entered the bar, and what the other woman had said when she'd come back downstairs. That, and somehow she was convinced that Andrea was telling the truth. In the meantime, she headed out to get drinks. She'd come back to talk with Andrea and/or Dani later...

Wait. When did I decide to do that? I thought I was just gonna drink with Dan. She paused for the smallest of moments, then shrugged it off and headed to the bar. Still, a little piece of her brain kept that question itching furiously. To ignore anything like that completely, as she'd learned in the Northern Hemisphere, could lead to death if you weren't careful.

Walking over to her chair and pulling two gold coins out, she dropped them onto the table, purely for the distracting and pleasant clinking sound. "Kosher grape juice and a mug of Bailey's coffee, please."

------

Dani watched, still a little mistrustful, as Andrea spoke with Syl before the latter left for the drinks. The tattooed woman's gaze was on Giles, for the most part, but after a few minutes she spoke to Dani.

Dani's eyes would have narrowed, had they not widened the next second in slight surprise. Now that she mentioned it, her legs were aching a little more noticeably... She pulled them up, biting the inside of her lip so she wouldn't make any pain-noises in fornt of Andrea, and sat with her back straight against the wall, facing the woman and Giles.

"A little bit, yeah, but I'm fine. And Stygian did hurt him, but he was being kind of a jerk anyway. It was really cool to watch, but I'm a little worried. That was more than an hour ago, and he still hasn't moved or said anything." She twirled the end of her ponytail nervously. She still had something to tell the blackguard; besides, if he was dead, that meant she'd been sitting in the same room as a corpse, for Wrenth's sake. The very idea made her shudder.

[Cogidubnus]

The psychic's dipping into the pyromancer's head revealed little about the man's state, if only because it was without context. Heat and darkness, cool at the edges and burning hot in the middle. Touching it was like touching an ember, and like a coal, it flickered and glowed without the bright flame of conscious thought. Not even dreams tossed about in that slumbering fire.

[Stygian]

Keeping on frowning, Andrea persisted in her listening to the man in front of her. But he seemed comatose, and when she did not receive any sort of a response for a couple of minutes, she sighed and at last gave up, walking over and seating herself on a stool. Well, at least she was alone with Dani now. Which meant she could try something. Something far more considerable...
   'I know you don't like me. It's easy enough to see. But I think you should listen to me', she began, an odd note entering her voice. Slowly, she raised her gaze toward the other woman, and the room seemed to ripple for a moment. She didn't give the other woman the time to perceive anything, or to let resistance or hesitance develop in her mind. 'Nothing is wrong. You are feeling dizzy because of the injury and the painkillers. You might want to take some morphine or such.' Her eyes almost burned, the way she focused on Dani, leaning in toward the other woman, whose gaze was helplessly drawn to meet her own. It wasn't all a result of leaving the woman "open to suggestions". When she had the opportunity to exercise more force, she could make people do far more particular things, even when they were aware that they didn't want to.
   'We don't need to discuss much. You already agree with me, that Sylvie has to stay clear of Stygian. You loathe him.' The words seemed to be slipping and sliding through the air, in and out of attention and consciousness, as if they were burrowing themselves in Dani's mind. Going past hesitation and caution, and slipping right into the area of thoughts and ideas. As if they had been hers to begin with. It was an insidious and vile method. And effective.
   'We haven't talked at all. But when your friend comes back, you feel that you have to agree with me...' Andrea went on. It was too late to stop, and only part of her felt bad for doing what she was about to. A part that she had no problem pushing out of mind. 'When we insist that she get away from that monster.'
   Licking her lips, the psychic leaned back, relaxed where she sat, and exhaled. 'Now, you're a little dizzy and your memory's somewhat fuzzy. Shock and medicine can do that to you. You don't remember talking to me, but you're not worried about that. You know the disorientation will pass.'
   Now, there was just waiting for the elf.

- -

Sliding her chair out and getting up once again, the machine made a sighing sound, and then took on an entirely new expression of decisiveness. If the ermine was not going to do anything, then she was going to deal with this new problem as swiftly as possible. Giving the bar a last passing glance, she turned, and headed for the stairs, her odd feet eerily silent on the floor. She passed up the stairs with a clashing combination of precise grace, and the grudging air of someone doing something reluctantly.
   The corridor upstairs lay nearly silent, even to the machine's hearing, save sounds that she did not care to think about. That didn't really deserve thinking about, unless you were the sort of person who got off on it. Walking slowly, she wondered briefly how she would identify the room that she was looking for. That was, until she noticed the inexplicable dimming and bending of the light near one of the doors. Stepping up, she looked down, and nearly poked a "toe" at vine-like hints of black just edging out from the crack under the door.
   'We thought you had better things to do.' The voice - voices, really - that echoed out from just beyond the door didn't shake the machine like they probably would have any more usual creature, despite the horridity of the sound.
   ':it's Andrea. she's u-' Sahlena began, but was cut off harshly.
   'Of course it's Andrea! She knows she can't get to us, so she'll use someone else for that', the voices growled. 'And of course that means Sylvie. Now tell me; why should-'.
   ':-you care, yes. don't interrupt me like that, asshole. and don't bullshit me like that either.' She waited just a moment for emphasis. ':it matters to you.' That statement was met with a tired growl.
   'They are critters. This is a madhouse at the edge of nothing and nowhere', the voices snarled back with cold disdain. 'There's no reason to do anything but exploit it. Which is precisely what she is doing. How very clever of her, if she thinks that's going to amount to anything but getting her in trouble. Or makes it.'
   There was a tense silence and a few seconds of increasing darkness and discomfort. Sahlena clenched and unclenched a fist, giving off every bit of the very human impression of someone who wants to punch something. She lowered her hand though, at last, and moved away from the door.
   ':really impressive. all i hear is a disappointed, cranky man', the machine muttered. ':you think you can be a creature like you are, and still be better than the people here? and then be below caring about what's going on? or do you really think that saying that you don't care is somehow a good thing, when it comes to that?' She shook her head. ':you know, for a monster, you're still damn human. but only up to the point where you're an idiot.'
   Not waiting for any sort of comeback, she turned on the spot, and then stalked right back down the corridor, leaving only silence behind.

[Boog]

Marya was swept up into Dekuyaketh's arms with a yelp, still yelling a few curses at the closed door. Typically such actions would have earned not only an elbow to the ribs but also possibly partway through them. Fortunately for him, the mongoose remembered at the last second that she liked this guy and settled for flailing and cursing some more. Of course, the flailing sent Dekuyaketh off balance, causing him to step on Marya's tail. And that made the flailing worse, and then an elbow accidentally caught the demon upside the head and then the floor was all the way up there until finally the world stopped spinning and the two of them came to a halt right at the edge of Richard's table.
The zombie looked the two of them up and down, silently, then opened his mouth to comment. Then closed it and looked them over again. Then made another attempt, ending the same way. Marya yanked her bandana out of her eyes and glared.
"Shut the hell up, Rich'."
"I didn't say anything yet."
"I can hear what you're thinking, and it's loud."
"You don't know what I'm thinking."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." Richard looked over the rather pretty looking demon and the beastfolk he was thoroughly entangled with, giving thought to the noise he'd heard upstairs and the bedraggled look on the young man's face. "If you did you'd have hit me by now."
"FUCK YOU!"

---

Boog already had two rather large buckets of some sort of gumbo waiting for Kazarkt when he returned, grinning as he graciously accepted payment.
"Now go on, your date's waiting." The barkeep returned to daydreaming before Kazarkt could get offended by the implication, casting his perception about and zeroing in on the infirmary. The thoughts eminating from there were getting a touch too orderly, and Dr. Holic was still too incapacitated by his little Condition to deal with it. The thought entity sent a tendril of consciousness to investigate.
Ah. The psychic. Fucking duh. Andrea felt something brush the edge of her mind, something terrible. A thought like the wing of a bird caught in an oil slick.
"GeTtInG a ToUcH uNsUbTlE tHeRe, ToOtS..."

[techmaster-glitch]

   Karazkt didn't quite understand what the Boogeyman said, but he didn't really care. The food was warm, and that's all that mattered. He tried to pick up the big gumbo buckets, but they were too heavy for his weak, spindly Engineer form to carry one-handed each. His antennae and fingers glowed brown softly, and some dirt seeped up from the floorboards. Shaping them into two disks, he slid them under the buckets, and effectively levitated them.
   With the now-floating buckets in tow, he made his way back across the bar to the Xenoqueen. Setting the buckets down in front of her, he bowed his antennae and said, in his own language again, "Here is your food, and my apologies for the delay. Is it satisfactory?"

[TheGreyRonin]

The return of the Insectis interrupted the Queen's observation of the lifeforms around her, but his posture of humility, the obedient shape of his thoughts, and the scent of the food drove away any resentment she felt.
She dipped her head low, outer lips and jaw peeling open, and extended her inner jaw on its' pistonlike tongue. She slipped it into the first bucket, and took a hesitant taste.
"Adequate." she commented mentally, then proceeded to suck the container empty in one short, loud inhalation. The sound was loud enough to be heard across the room, and akin to thick sewage being pulled through a narrow hose at high speed.
Emptying the second bucket as swiftly as the first, the Queen withdrew her inner jaws and closed her mouth, regarding Karazkt without eyes. With a coating of thick, clear drool dripping from her chin, she debated his worth as a host.
There was value in this one as a host, but more use to her unchanged. She raised her head to scan the bar with her senses instead, looking for a creature to host her offspring.

[techmaster-glitch]

   Karazkt was relieved when the Queen seemed appeased by her meal. However, there was something that had been hanging in at the back of his mind the whole time, something that he knew had to be dealt with. It was time to get it over with.
   "My Queen...there is something I must inform you of." He said cautiously, or as cautious as a language of bugs could be. "Earlier, you were hibernating...resting. And...I was unaware of this. During your rest, I disturbed you, though you did not wake.
   "In my society, this is an enormous breach of protocol. Therefore, I am obliged to inform you of this, and accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate."
   Karazkt nervously awaited what she might decide.

[Angel]

Dani watched Andrea intently, which she would later discover was her mistake. Her own dislike and mistrust of the woman was, ironically, her downfall. The room seemed ... off-balance for a minute, as something like a shockwave went through the air. But all she could focus on now was Andrea's voice and her own traitorously obedient mind. It all somehow made sense to her...the thoughts slipped into her brain, they'd always been there, she'd never liked Stygian, damn her legs were starting to hurt.

Once Andrea was done taking, her eyelids drooped a little, and she laid back. She wasn't feeling well... and her friend's ordeal with the monster upstairs was still fresh in her mind for some reason. She was tired, and everything seemed unclear. If she just lay down and stayed still for a while, it would all be over...

-----

Even as she received the requested drinks (despite the fact that the bartender was paying no attention, she'd still somehow received them...), Sylvie could feel a little power in the air. Not Stygian's this time, but she couldn't place it. She knew whatever was going on involved nomagic, but that didn't exactly narrow it down, given the people here.

Speaking of. Marya and the Maine Coon who'd headed upstairs before her headed very quickly back down the stairs in a tangled mess, the Insect-creature and the Queen were interactingin a language she didn't understand, and the winged Wolf and Piix were nowhere to be found. The elf watched all this with some interest; she'd been too wrapped up in her own thoughts before, and felt like doing a little people-watching. In this place, interesting things weren't hard to come by.

She didn't ask after anything she saw, though, having a deadline to keep. She headed back into the infirmary after a few minutes. But the moment she set foot in the room, something felt wrong. Dani looked a little worse than she had, even than when she'd hauled herself up to talk with Sylvie. At least then, she'd been ignoring her pain. Now, though... it looked like it had gotten to her.

And the look on Andrea's face was just unassuming enough to look...practiced.

"Is anything wrong?" she asked, trying to keep any wariness out of her voice as she approached the two.

[Sunblink]

...Dekuyaketh:

Dekuyaketh honestly thought, when he was bolting down the hallway with Marya under his arm, that the floor was going to buckle under his feet and trip him up.

When something to that effect actually did happen, he was quite shocked. There was a very loud thump as Dekuyaketh's three-hundred-pound body slammed to the floor, and the Maine Coon rolled over onto his side, groaning and clutching his head with his organic arm's hand, the other, mechanical arm embedding its curved claws into the floorboards. For a while, as he was completely immobilized by the sensation of his mind seething and writhing in its ephemeral restraints, he just remained there, completely unaware of Marya and Richard's banter. In the back of Dekuyaketh's mind, a more analytical part of him unmolested by his turmoil mumbled how it hoped Richard and Marya would just dismiss Dekuyaketh hissing on the floor as him accidentally hitting his head in the fall, or something. Anything further that would involve interrogation was out of the question.

When Dekuyaketh realized someone (he couldn't quite see who it was, exactly, nor could he identify the person by his or her voice due to his momentary delirium) was standing over him, he withdrew his mechanical arm's nails from the floor and recoiled as though struck, quickly rubbing at his torn lower lip with the back of his hand to smear away the blood. His mind was reassembling itself, but he still felt delusional.

All he saw through the lingering, corroded veil partially obscuring his vision was an indistinct, uncharacterized blur of nondescript red. "I'm fine!" he forced out unconvincingly, panicked, "Fine! Nothing to worry about! Really! I'm fine!"

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Stygian]

It was fortunate that Dani was under control and looking away, because when she felt what came to her awareness that time, Andrea shuddered and almost jumped from her seat. Now that, she had understood. Had that been the damnable thing outside? Did it know what was going on? She was in too deep to cut any strings as it were, but now things were just getting too risky. What was more, she felt offended and insulted. The damn thing thought that it could intrude on this?! No, she had to risk it. She couldn't do much more, but she'd be damned if she gave up like that...
   Her consternation and irritation helped Andrea somewhat, actually, as she quirked her head at Sylvie with surprise as the elf entered, and hesitated just a bit before responding. Just as if she hadn't known the elf was going to come in from the start. One leg kicked over the other, she folded her arms across her breasts as she sat back.
   'I don't know. You don't seem to think so', she said, looking critically but not hostilely at the elf. 'So I don't know whether if you'll actually listen to my opinion. Or that of your friend, who you're clearly worrying.' She added clear disapproval to that last statement.
   Waiting for Dani to pitch in anything but a sour look though, seemed futile. She seemed to have decided to grouch and just feel her pain for a bit. And unfortunately, what was more, not putting some weight behind her arguments did not seem a good choice to Andrea either. Fixing her eyes on the elf, meeting her gaze head on and stretching her mind's influence as subtly and carefully as she could, she focused. She would try to slip this one last thing below the radar, and if it was not enough... she would just have to pick a fight with the elf.
   'Look, I don't know how much you think you know or care, or whether if you are going to listen', she said, with a bit of a bitter defeatist tone thrown in for believability, even through the slowly heightening dizziness of the compulsion, that drew the focus to her eyes, her voice, her words. 'You might as well be one of those who goes looking for trouble, thinking it a "challenge". I'm telling you though, if you think that of this, and you're wrong, you're not even going to find out that you're in over your head before it's as good as off your shoulders. You've talked to him. Fine. I've seen what he's done. And I can tell you right out; he is a fiend. A freak. And that's not even why I loathe him.' She bored her gaze into Sylvie's. 'You should really think about this. I'll admit that I'm saying this out of self-interest, sure. That doesn't mean that I'm wrong though.' She leaned forward, almost wanting to risk it to make physical contact, so that she could be sure that thing wouldn't overhear what was going on again. And that she would get a real grip on the girl. 'Not when I say that you ought to be feeling discomfort and revulsion around him. Not when I say that the only right thing is to detest someone like that.'

- -

The corridor lay still and silent for a good while, the sound of the commotion at the bottom end of the stairs the only disturbance around. That, and the near-silent sounds that emanated from a door further up the corridor. Though, of course, in the wake of the machine's departure, and her swiftly squeezing past the others in the stairs on the way back down with only a glance and a shake of her head, there was another tension as well. One of irritation and hesitance. It lasted for about as long as the source of it realized that, no matter most of its sentiments, its problems would only worsen and it would not be able to sleep before things were solved.
   The first sign was the lights flickering briefly, and then a clatter from the door. Then, slowly, as the thing opened with a minor creak, the darkness spilled into the hallway, dimming and bending the light immediately around the entry to the room. It swirled and smoked and fumed, even as it stretched and bound itself around the pitch humanoid that stepped out of it, taking shape along with the rest of the dark and letting it wrap around it. The door closing behind it without so much as a gesture, it slowly started walking down the corridor, oily blackness rolling off it like smoke as the blackness formed folds and thinned out, a long coat manifesting and taking full shape even as it stuck its hands into its pockets, smooth and tight black cloth under it, and boots starting to thud on the floor as they gradually took shape. Lastly, skin oozed and emerged over its long-toothed face, and the green glow of its eyes dimmed to a gleam.
   Even though the boots were meant as a warning, in his preoccupation and state, Dekuyaketh did not notice the steps passing behind him, heading for the bar but stopping right at his side. Not until Stygian was already standing beside him and looking right at him with a cold stare. For several seconds he just stood there, looking. Then, with only a quick rush of black veins through his neck for a warning, his face melted, turning back into that hideous visage somewhere in between that of a skull and a leech of some kind, and he parted his teeth in a rasping growl.
   'Boo.'

[Angel]

Sylvie watched, seeming distressed by something, but listening to Andrea without question ... for a while. The more she listened, the stronger the woman's influence got; all she could think of now was how Stygian had frightened her beyond measure, in the Circle as well as upstairs. And not just her, but others; she remembered the fight with Giles, and how Stygian had been so impetuous and furious he'd knocked a man nearly twice his size through the wall. He was dangerous, there was no question about it; he was ev..

You're forgetting something, whispered the back of her mind. Sylvie blinked, a little out of her trance. Something about all this seemed... off. Sure she may have thought some of this on her own, but somehow, she felt that these ideas were out of place...just like before. And there were other things too; if he was such a monster, why had he let Sylvie live? Not only that, but hadn't he proved her own fears wrong at the end of their fight? Anyone else would have manipulated 'victory terms' to far more twisted purposes, but he'd actually sensed her fear and let it be...

"Y'know," Dani said, sitting up a little even if she did look worse off, "I hate to admit it, but she's got a point, Syl. He can't be trusted. I let my guard down earlier, but I know now. I was right the first time I talked to him. He's a monster. Stay away from him." Her gaze was hardened, like a child firmly stating that Santa Claus is real and there's no way you can convince her otherwise.

Any suspicions the elf had were now confirmed beyond all reasonable doubt. After the look she'd given Andrea earlier, the icy tone she'd heard right before she left, Dani was agreeing with this woman? Something wasn't right. It all started to piece together... that power-feeling... Dani showing pain and agreeing with someone she'd clearly mistrusted... the out-of-place ideas she'd had. Sylvie focused on Andrea's eyes, her own yellow-green orbs burning brightly. But not just with anger; magic was lacing through her eyes and straight to Andrea. Two could play at this game...

"Tell the truth; what the hell are you doing to me? And what did you do to her?" Dani sat up a little more. Now she was more confused, and the slight dizziness wasn't helping.

"Syl, what are you talking about? I mean it! Every word! She hasn't done anything; I just started feeling a little sick and then-" Sylvie cut her friend off, still facing Andrea, a little extra ice creeping into her voice as Dani reminded her of what had likely just happened.

"Snap her out of it, or I will. NOW."

[Sunblink]

...Dekuyaketh:

Dekuyaketh started to feel his vision clear up, restoring along with the first, few, reassembled pieces of his mind. The burned-out shell of his mind-shields, wrapped in a protective cocoon around the crumbled remains of his head, were gradually siphoning everything broken back into place, replacing everything that had been taken. The reintroduction of color back into his sight was one of those. Even then, Dekuyaketh still felt far too unstable, and couldn't muster anything close to a coherent thought. Struggling to recall his name was a tremendous task that nearly made his memory snap under the weight of the burden. Eventually he just gave up on thinking in general, and focused on trying to keep his trembling body up. Feeling extremely self-conscious all of a sudden, as though operating on the vestigial traces of his dignity, Dekuyaketh tried to sweep his hair back into place, but his hands were shaking too much to do anything. He was mumbling incomprehensibly under his breath, too inaudibly for anyone to hear.

He heard something, like an acrid fuming sound, and instinctively glanced up with slightly-red eyes. Overwhelmed by the sensation of his third eye, Dekuyaketh immediately tried to close the apparatus, sealing the eyelid shut into a thin, puckered line indistinguishable against the scar on his forehead. Much to his horror, the wall seemed to be starting to... seethe and distort, as though the shadows around it were blurring into a kaleidoscopic wreath. When something shaped like a man started to emerge from the wall, however, Dekuyaketh felt his breathing start to accelerate until he was hyperventilating. He wanted to run, but was inexplicably frozen in place, incapable of movement, even when Stygian stepped out from the wall, and even when his face distorted and twisted into the visage of a hideous monster's.

"Boo," Stygian hissed.

Dekuyaketh screamed, and he felt his mechanical arm and hand start to flare with crimson energy. However, he couldn't conjure up the concentration needed to launch a full-fledged blow, and instead a few sparks tumbled to the floor, bouncing harmlessly off the veneered wood and vanishing. Dekuyaketh didn't seem to realize this in his panic and delirium, however, and used the opportunity he believed he had opened to twist around and try to escape, his feet scraping and paddling against the floor as he propelled himself for the closest door. That of the infirmary's. In the middle of one of his steps, it seemed as though the floor did a somersault, looping the whole room around, and he tumbled to the ground again as his feet caught up on one another, to accommodate this sudden reversal. Dekuyaketh felt his chin hit the floor, and blood spurted from his lip anew. Running when one was shaking too badly and couldn't think wasn't a very good idea.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Stygian]

The elf's influence was as forceful as she could make it, and seemed to rely on differing underlying principles than whatever it was that Andrea was doing. Yet, she only felt a hint of her magic slip past, and saw a bit of surprise on Andrea's face, before something stopped her magic in its tracks, like a thick, syrupy barrier, growing thicker and harder until it was deflecting even her angered, hardened efforts. The woman frowned, then scowled and bared her teeth.
   'Oh, you think you have the upper hand all of a sudden?' Andrea hissed, her glare still as powerful, but not affecting Sylvie that way any more. The human's whole eyes were beginning to pale, her pupils pinpricked and going milkier by the moment, together with her irises. 'Fine then. Dani, forget what I said.' She paused for a moment, then sneered a bit. 'Forget everything.'
   For a moment, there was the Red's blinking eyes and a welling realization in them, and the next... nothing. Exhaling slowly, Dani seemed to go half-limp, her head slumping forward and her eyes unfocused.
   It seemed that the elf's mind was either slippery with whatever magic or power she was using, or it was too alien for Andrea to tamper solidly with from the start. But she still had a bargaining chip like none other. Sylvie couldn't assault her. But she could turn the elf's best friend into a semi-conscious package. Or make her attention span or short-term memory measurable in milliseconds. Or, simply make her hate the Green or develop a phobia for her, or a tendency to regurgitate when she was around. All sorts of nastiness, all without actually causing physical harm.

- -

Stygian's face didn't remain as it was for long enough that anyone but those who had been looking at him during the shift could catch it. A grin already spread across his features, he barked a laugh and almost applauded Dekuyaketh's display. His slick black eyes though, remaining on the demon for a while, watching him twitch and shudder in shambles on the floor, did not share that amusement. After a few seconds of watching the demon's struggles, he shook his head and turned around, pacing back over to the bar and sitting down with a sigh.
   'Boog, a cold and hard one', he said, amusement quickly slipping from his expression. Past the facade for social purposes, he had been feeling rather like his order before he walked back in, and even more so after. He could feel the tension in the air. Whether if he should go see if it was what he was suspecting, or act on it though, was still very much in doubt. Most of all because of his previous warning. He'd try and remain as he was as long and far as possible.

[TheGreyRonin]

Something was interfering with the Queen's senses, something nagging at the edges of her perceptions like a sore tooth. Trying to pinpoint what it was caused her to completely miss what the Insectis had thought towards her...for a while.
She thought a wordless blast of hatred towards whatever it was, followed by a snarled thought: "I will find and devour you!"
Turning her annoyed perception to Karazkt, and vented her frustration mentally on him, in tones of death and shattering machinery. "If I desired to punish you, I would have already. Go. Fight. Return with a suitable host for my hive."
Without waiting for a response, she began her search anew.

[Boog]

"Dek!" Marya barked as the demon scrambled away just to slam to the floor again. She got up and scrambled over to him, checking over his latest damages. "Ah, shit kid, that ain't gonna clear up fast. Hold still, let me get a look." Superficial injuries like this, she knew. "Come on, up you get kid. Richard, get over here and gimme a hand! Fucker's heavy..."
"I'm kinda enjoying my beer..."
"DAMMIT RICH'!"
"Fine, fine..." The zombie made way over and hefted Dekuyaketh under one of his arms, Marya getting the other. As they made their way toward the infirmary, the mongoose glared over her shoulder once at the offending man in black. JUST like what she used to deal with. "Asshole." With that, she turned her back on the man and got back to what she was doing.

---

"Coming up," Boog reached under the counter and set out the drink, "Rooms to your liking?"

[Angel]

Sylvie almost snarled when Andrea blocked her spell. Like the other woman, she bared her teeth in frustration, and for a moment, she looked every bit like the prisoner she was at one point. Her eyes were steely in anger, not even relaxing when Andrea relaxed her control on Dani.

But that anger fell to her stomach and metamorphosed into sickening worry when Dani slumped forward, a blank look in her eyes.

Without a care in her mind about how Andrea would react, Sylvie moved forward, almost shoving the other woman aside to get to her friend. It wasn't a sleep spell; she'd trained herself to fall backward or to the side whenever that happened, and she never slept with her eyes open. And with that little dreg of hope out of the way, the obvious and frightening truth was the only other thing that could explain this. Andrea's words now took on several possible meanings in the elf's mind. Forget everything...

"Dani?" Sylvie said, shaking her friend a little by the shoulders. No response. "Dani?" she repeated, her eyes losing their hardened edge completely as fear started fresh in her mind, the elf now gripping Dani's shoulders so tight that her knuckles were the color of the inside of an aloe plant. "What did you do to her?!" she shouted at Andrea, and without waiting for an answer, looked past her and screamed at the open door, "HELP!"

[Stygian]

Andrea grinned momentarily as she watched the elf desperately, and futilely, try to rouse her friend. The Green's agitated scream at her though, and her next cry for help, caused her face to crinkle in anger again.
   'Shut up!' she spat, glaring daggers at Sylvie. 'There's no one here but me who can help with this sort of thing, so if you're smart, you'll sit down and be quiet! Now!'
   Before either of them could do anything, their gazes were drawn to the infirmary door, which opened a hair for an eyeblink and then clacked shut just as quickly, not a hint of who it had been standing there evident.

- -

Stygian, having turned and eyed the door to the infirmary with some hesitance in his expression, sighed sourly and returned to his drink, with an off glance to the Boogeyman. Yet he did not need to hear the hard footsteps to know that after having peered through the door, the machine would be coming right over to him. He felt her presence as her steps stopped right behind him. He could pretty much feel the way she had her fists balled at her hips, watching him with irritation.
   ':well?!' her voice ground, a moment later than he'd thought.
   'Well, that's out of my hands', he replied dully, not turning to look the android in the face. 'Unless you've noticed, not only do I not have a reason to go over there, but- NGH!' He bent forward, and spilled some of his drink, as the machine fisted him in the side. Glaring, he turned around, wiping his mouth and setting the glass down with a slap.
   'Unless you happen to be blind, I also have a reason to not go there! I'm not exactly on good terms with the establishment...!' he hissed at her, and cast the Boogeyman a flicker of a look. 'It's not as if I could do something to intervene then, now is there?' His question was met only with a continued fuming stare from the machine. She looked like she wanted to knock him out.
   ':you can do something about that. you're just too pathetic to without someone threatening to kick your balls in if you don't!'
   Stygian stared at her, frowning just the slightest bit. There was a tiny twitch to his eye, and then he sighed and turned back around. He stared blankly forward, and the machine looked about to fist him again, except with her claws this time. But just when she pulled back her arm, he broke her off.
   'Boog... Fighting is prohibited except within a circle, right?' he asked, looking at the thought entity. Not waiting for an answer, he threw back the last of his drink, and set the glass down, turning on the spot and walking back toward the infirmary.

- -

If it could be called a standoff, it was not a fair one. Andrea looked as if her threat was very real, and even if fighting was prohibited within the premises of the bar, the size advantage and look of hardness that she had on Sylvie added a bit of intimidation as well. She thought she had the elf under her thumb.
   The first sign of change was the sudden burning smell. Then came a sound like acid being poured on a porous material. Andrea, who had just been about to speak, snapped her mouth shut and looked around, and down, toward the source of the sound. On the floor, smooth, curved lines were being etched as if with a blowtorch and hot iron, sizzling into existence seemingly out of nowhere, along a circular pattern very closely resembling that of the circles outside in the street. It was nothing like them, really, and more tainted than magical. But it was still a circle. And it was centered right around the two women.
   'Seems that everyone gets stupid when they are being egoistic.' Stygian, his voice a low, cold rasp, seemed to have materialized out of nowhere, standing a few steps outside the still sizzling, coal-black pattern, dark eyes fixed at them both. Andrea spun her head to look at him, and seemed ready to bark something again. The man interrupted her immediately.
   'Give her one, Sylvie. Actually, give her as many as you'd like.'

[Angel]

Sylvie spun around almost immediately when Andrea yelled at her, and once the words registered, her shock and fear swiftly gave way to anger. She was about to scream at her that she'd get the whole damned bar in here unless she fixed Dani right now when a little click near the door distracted both women. The Green focused in the door for a second or two, trying to discern who'd been there, but there was no way of telling now. She looked back at Andrea, growing frustrated and her face growing stormy again. She was at a physical disadvantage, being about three inches shorter than the woman and lighter as well. There was also the aggravating no-fights-outside-a-circle rule, and the fact that Andrea could likely mold Dani's mind like clay while she was in this state. For a moment, it seemed like she might have to do as the human asked...

And then a familiar smell distracted her - the smell of burning and smoke. She looked down and tried to find the source, taking care to keep her movements controlled and not show any fear while Andrea was around. Then a low hissing noise started, and glowing lines became clear in the floor.

A Circle was being burned into the floor. And she and Andrea were in the middle of it.

A familiar voice came from nowhere, and its owner soon followed. At his words, her initial confusion melted away ... and became vengeful malice. "Thanks," she said to Stygian before facing Andrea again, her eyes narrowed in a Medusa glare.

"I'll only ask you once," she said, her voice dangerously quiet. "Help Dani and never mess with either of our minds again, or else once I'm done with you, you won't even be able to look at a dandelion without having a heart attack."

After that, the elf muttered a few unfamiliar words and her right hand started to glow. But before Andrea could do anything about it, Sylvie smirked, curled the energized hand into a fist, and punched her in the stomach as hard as she could.

[Sunblink]

...Dekuyaketh:

Sprawled out on the floor like an expensive fur rug, Dekuyaketh shuddered and spasmed, apparently going through the residual symptoms of a rather intense seizure. Such behavior was typical when he was still recovering from nearly having his mind-shields broken, as restoring the barriers protecting his fractured and distorted mind without any external assistance - specifically by the person responsible for erecting those shields - usually belabored his mind and body. White noise filled Dekuyaketh's brain, and even amidst his paralyzing fear he didn't think to try and move, even though his antagonist could still be present, and with murderous intentions.

He heard a short, loud laugh that resonated like a thunderclap across his his splintered subconscious before fading into anonymity, and Dekuyaketh spasmed like a cockroach that had its legs pulled off in apparent horror. Was that bastard laughing at him? Dekuyaketh felt too distant and detached from his body to feel affronted or vengeful, as though he had just drifted away from his corporeal shell and was observing everything, narrating everything in an impersonal inventory, from a third-person perspective. His emotions bounced harmlessly off of his suspended subconscious. He wasn't hurting anymore other than a dull throb.

Dekuyaketh felt a furry arm go underneath his own. When Marya examined Dekuyaketh, she'd notice a sizable bruise on his chiseled abdomen and the excessively-bleeding cut on his lip and chin, but no other damages. Some of the blood creeping down Dekuyaketh's chin had trickled over his Adam's apple and was snaking in little droplets onto the chain of his bizarre-looking necklace; an untarnished silver wedding ring looped on an equally pristine silver chain. Dekuyaketh was largely unresponsive, and just let his head roll to the side; his eyes were half-open while his third eye remained firmly sealed shut, and he was trembling. His shaking had abated, for the most part, at least, and Dekuyaketh was starting to feel himself return to his body, although he was gripped with an inexplicable exhaustion.

Another arm helped Marya heft Dekuyaketh back to his feet, or at least upright enough to properly drag him to the infirmary. Dekuyaketh faintly recognized that it was Marya's decomposing companion - the fact he could assign identities to people seemed like a relative improvement, even if he couldn't speak coherently or remember his own name, or anything else for that matter. All he could dwell on was a flickering montage of past events that life refused to let him forget. Dekuyaketh's head flopped forward so he was staring vacantly at the floor, and he hung weightily against Marya and Richard's bodies. Since he weighed over three hundred pounds (with the addition of his unnecessarily weighty mechanical arm, which currently throbbed, mostly deactivated, with a dull luster) and stood at a relatively proportionate seven-foot-one, and considering he was acting very unhelpfully catatonic at the moment, he was extremely uncomfortable to carry. All the way to the infirmary, Dekuyaketh just mumbled and droned in completely incomprehensible tones, until his lips were moving and no words were coming out, and he was starting to fall asleep.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Stygian]

Had Andrea not been so hesitant or tried to salvage the unmanageable situation, she might have dodged. Instead, her next snapping comment was smashed out between her lips in a grunt, as Sylvie's strike took her right in the solar plexus. Strengthened though she was, she was still only human, and the strike knocked all the air out of her lungs and made her shake, crumpling together a bit against the sickbed.
   'F-fuuhck...' she groaned, then tried a swing, which was cut off by another strike from the elf. Sylvie felt her skin beginning to sting somehow, but if the other woman were trying to do something to her then either something was holding her back, or she was too dazzled and winded at the moment to put in the focus needed. And beside the whole spectacle, Stygian stood smirking.
   'Two for a ring, Ann. I'm not going to pull her away', he said, chuckling. He inspected his claw-like nails, thumbing them a bit, completely indifferent to the elf severely bruising the woman just a few feet away. Andrea tried to speak, but neither he nor Sylvie seemed in the mood to listen. 'You've gotten yourself deep enough with what you've already done. Quitting now is advisable...'
   'Okay...!' Andrea finally hacked out, watching Sylvie raise her arm again. Raising her head and looking at Dani, she seemed to have a hard time focusing, until in a couple of seconds the Red blinked to life again with a look of confusion. Defeated, Andrea sat down and clenched her ribs, catching her breath.

[Angel]

Sylvie's surprise at actually landing a punch on Andrea was, thankfully for her, outweighed by her anger at what the woman had done to her friend. She felt a little spark of satisfaction when her impromptu opponent sank against the bed, but when Andrea tried to hit back, she quickly countered it with another successful punch. The psychic seemed to be trying to speak and explain herself, and the tingle of Sylvie's skin felt like she was still trying to get some kind of influence over her, a fact which incensed the elf even more. She barely even noticed Stygian, who looked content to sit back and let the show go on.

At last, just before Sylvie could strike again, Andrea gave up. The exhilaration the Green had been holding back now overcame her, and a strange little smile formed on her face. Her race tended to rely more on magic and trickery than any physical combat. There was a fire in her eyes like she'd been staring at the sun; she'd won her first fight... using the least magic she'd used so far. I almost wish she'd do it again; I'd watch her leave her limping, a part of her mind said coolly. She refrained from saying that out loud, though; beating the crap out of Andrea was enough.

She glanced over at the bed and noticed Dani, perking up and looking rightly confused. "What happened?" she said in a dazed tone, Andrea's influence gone completely. Sylvie didn't bother to check if the Circle had faded, simply stepped over and went right to her friend's side. Dani looked around - her eyes catching a little surprise when she saw Stygian, and even more when she saw Andrea slumped and defeated, and the Circle burned into the floor. "Who...what..." At last the Red looked up at her friend and saw the odd little sparkle in her eyes. "...Guess you gotta lose to know how to win," she said in a bemused and confused tone. "But what the hell happened here?"

"Let's just say there's more people than me who can hypnotize," Sylvie responded, warmth for her friend interacting with ice for Andrea and making an odd catch in her voice. The Green looked up at Stygian. "She tried to get me to hate you, and she'd already gotten to Dan. But there's plenty of ways you can hurt a man. Why'd you use me and her?" she asked, directing the question at Andrea and, to a lesser degree, Stygian. Her eyes were a little hardened now under her relief and excitement. "And don't try that again, by the way; I meant what I said before, and I never make a threat I can't carry out." Dani's eyes widened further at this new knowledge, gazing at Andrea from her prone position. Seemed she'd been right not to trust her...

[Stygian]

Standing still, Stygian tapped the circle with the toe of a boot. It seemed seared right into the floor. Hands clasped behind him, he licked a fang absentmindedly, looking elsewhere and seeming pensive.
   'Well, would you have had it any other way?' he said, eying Andrea shortly, and then turning to Sylvie. He looked at her for a while, then simply shrugged. 'I usually try and live by the rule "Don't get mad; get even". It was your fight, even if I had to put a word in and... draw the line, so to speak.' He gave the elf a smirk, and then shook his head. 'Not that I didn't need a kick in the face to get a grip first.'
   'I picked you because it was easiest and least harmful. That's the bloody truth', Andrea groaned suddenly in a low murmur, bitter defeat in her voice. 'You should have it hard enough. Don't do this. He's a freak, and you don't have a leash. Not one that can hold him.' She looked up at Sylvie. 'I don't care what you think. You'll regret this. That's not a threat.' Stygian raised an eyebrow, yet remained completely still otherwise. He made a "tch"-ing sound, and then shook his head.
   'Honey, shut ya lip', he said, somewhat oddly. Then, he made a little formal bow to both Sylvie and Dani both, scarcely more than a nod, and made to leave. 'I suppose that concludes this, now the wrong's been righted. I hope I was convenient. Now, I think I'll go back to drinking my drink even though I don't want to...'

[Boog]

Richard cursed creatively at the Demon's reluctance in making getting him to safety easy. "Oughta drop the little-"
"Down, Rich', he's just been through some shitty stuff."
"Ain't we all?"
"You able to make out what he's saying? You've done the whole catatonia thing before, this is your expertise. You speak crazy."
"Fuck you."
As they made their way through the door of the infirmary Marya received another surprise, which she skillfully ignored. Impressive though it was that he got there before them, her experience with Things Like This dictated that letting such things KNOW they'd surprised you was a little less helpful than stabbing yourself in the forehead (Don't ask). She shoved by him and dragged Dekuyaketh to an empty bed with a grunt, Richard stopping to look over Andrea, Sylvie, Dani and the circle burned in the floor before raising both forearms to the traditional 12 o'clock "not asking" position of people everywhere who knew they lived in glass houses.

[Angel]

Sylvie's blush wasn't quite as intense as it had been before under Stygian's prolonged gaze, but it was present. True, he had just saved her friend from catatonia and herself from mind control, but the previous circumstances still made this the slightest bit awkward. She opened her mouth to thank him, then Andrea spoke up. Sylvie looked down at the other woman, her gaze still a bit hard, but with slight curiosity once she made it clear she wasn't threatening her. As Stygian started to leave, the elf bowed back and said "Thanks..." before turning and crouching in front of Andrea.

"As long as you're not threatening me, I feel I should tell you this," she said, quietly so that the group tha had just entered couldn't hear. "Dani received a warning from Sahlena about Stygian already. Stygian told me himself. You, however, are the only one who tried to force that warning on me. I'm not a ragdoll living in a movie. And as much I appreciate the misguided attempt at warning me, I think you need an attitude adjustment. Misery is not my friend..." she started to straighten up, still looking in Andrea's eyes. "But I'll break before I bend."

---

Dani, a bystander through all this, was the only one to pay attention to Richard and Marya dragging the Maine Coon into the infirmary. She gave the zombie an "I don't really know either" look, and nodded to thank him for his courteous indifference. She glanced back at Sylvie; the elf had stood up and was approaching the bed again.

"I'm gonna go upstairs and get some sleep, I think. Will you be okay?" she asked, her voice still pitched a little low.

Dani smirked ambivalently. "Three cups of coffee, hon; I can't clear my head." She reached into her bag, grabbing the key from the room she'd stayed in after her first sleep spell. "Long as you're okay when you're not sleeping in a bed of roses..."

Sylvie rolled her eyes and took the key, moving to leave. Dani re-focused her attentions on the group in the corner; Andrea, at this point, wasn't much of a worry to her. "What happened to him, anyway?"

[Stygian]

Hanging her head, Andrea rubbed her cheek, then slumped even more, if it was possible, deflating like a punctured tire. She didn't even look at Dani, but something told the other woman that it was her that she addressed, when she mumbled.
   'Which one are you talking about...?'

- -

Feeling less of a jerk but much stiffer to compensate, Stygian walked back into the bar, conflicted as always. He'd have wanted someone to talk to him or more of a show of appreciation. But you couldn't have everything. And he never really expected much of either of those things. People were usually sparse with that toward everyone, not to mention those like him.
   'Well, there we are. Smashed up my integrity a little more', he added, sinking down on a chair once again, looking at the Boogeyman. 'Sorry about the floor. But what'cha gonna do when time runs out on you? You use it or lose it.' He shrugged. 'Got anything to clear my head?'

[Boog]

Boog looked up from his eternally-polished glass (which was starting to get a little thin around the edges) and grinned. "Well, you know that I'd always be willing to clear your head for free, Styggy." He snickered once, setting the glass down, "But if you mean drinks, I've got everything from Absinthe to Ether to Shirley Temples. Or all three." He snickered. "'Something with Rum''s been popular so far. Which reminds me..." He flopped down onto a chair behind the bar and chuckled to himself again. "I'm gonna have to have a chat with that girl about waiting until someone accepts a challenge before slugging them. Of course, the management will appologize sincerely for the misconception..."

--

"The asshole that just waltzed out, that's what happened to him." Marya groused. "We go up there to make him quiet down and stop interruptin' our drinks with his aura bullshit, he does SOMETHING that freaks out Kid-Freakin'huge here," she thumped Dekuyaketh's arm once, "And he falls down the stairs."

[Angel]

Dani raised her eyebrows at Marya's brief, but telling version of events. "Funny how these things come together," she said, half to herself. When Andrea spoke up again, she looked down at the woman, and began to shift on the bed. Though twisting and turning caused her legs to burn a bit, it was much more bearable without Andrea's induced hypochondriac pain. The Red twisted herself around so that she was peeking over the foot of the bed at Andrea, a twitch of a smirk on her face. It wasn't amusement at either situation; Reds just tend to smile a lot.

"Sorry you got your ass kicked, but hey, the truth...well, you know there's no stopping it." Her hand moved a bit, then hesitated. "You're not gonna try anything if I help you up, are you?"

-----

"The way I see it, she challenged me, and even if not, man she had it comin'," came a voice from the other side of the room. Sylvie walked in, looking calmer, and still carrying a bit of energy from having won her first fight. She moved to her seat, setting down the still-full glass of kosher grape juice on the counter and moving her cloak and bag so she could pick them up in a minute. "But you're the one serving and keeping us here, so, whatever you say. So sorry..." But not really, she thought. Even if she had broken the rules, nothing could have stopped her from swinging at Andrea once she got her friend involved.

On that note, she turned to Stygian, one hand on her glass. "I didn't say it the best way earlier, but... thanks for saving me and Dan back there. If you hadn't shown up, I don't know what she would have done to me, and Dani might have ended up..." The Green paused, biting her lip a bit as she hesitated to say what she really thought. "...One of the lost ones," she finished quietly, taking a sip of grape juice to calm herself down.